Belize is one of the most popular places in the world to learn to dive — and it's easy to see why. Where else can your first open-water dives happen on the second-largest barrier reef system on Earth, in warm, clear, 80-degree water, with visibility that regularly tops 60 feet? If you've been curious about diving but never taken the plunge, a Belize vacation is a genuinely great place to start. Here's what getting certified actually involves. What Certification Level Do You N

If there's one dive site that puts Belize on every diver's bucket list, it's the Great Blue Hole. A nearly perfect circle of deep blue water dropping more than 400 feet into the earth, surrounded by the pale turquoise shallows of Lighthouse Reef Atoll — it's one of those dives that looks almost fake from the air, and feels even more surreal once you're in it. If you're planning a trip built around this one dive, timing matters. Here's what you need to know before you go. When